Privacy Best Practices for Content Creators and Educators
By Blurby Team
Content creators, YouTubers, and educators face unique privacy challenges when sharing their screens with audiences. Here are essential privacy tips to protect yourself and your audience while creating engaging content.
Pre-Recording Setup
Before hitting the record button, take these essential steps to protect your privacy:
Clean Your Desktop
• Remove personal files and documents
• Clear browser bookmarks toolbar
• Close unnecessary applications
• Use a generic wallpaper
Browser Privacy
• Clear browsing history and autocomplete
• Use incognito/private browsing mode
• Disable password autofill
• Log out of personal accounts
Live Streaming Privacy
Live streaming presents additional challenges since you can't edit out mistakes:
Live Stream Checklist
• Turn off all notifications (phone, computer, browser)
• Use a dedicated streaming profile or user account
• Test your screen share setup before going live
• Have a moderator monitoring chat for security alerts
• Keep sensitive tabs in a separate browser window
Educational Content Specific Tips
When creating educational content, you often need to show real applications and tools:
Use demo accounts with fake but realistic data
Create test environments separate from production
Use placeholder content that looks authentic
Blur out any real user information in screenshots
Never use real API keys or credentials in tutorials
Protecting Your Audience
As a content creator, you're also responsible for protecting your audience's privacy:
Community Guidelines
• Never share viewer personal information
• Blur usernames in community screenshots
• Don't read email addresses aloud
• Moderate chat for personal info sharing
Recording Considerations
• Review recordings before publishing
• Edit out accidental personal info
• Consider audio privacy too (notifications)
• Use consistent privacy standards
Platform-Specific Privacy Settings
YouTube
Configure analytics to hide personal information
Use YouTube Studio's blur face feature for sensitive content
Set up custom thumbnails to avoid accidental frame exposure
Twitch
Use scene transitions to switch between safe and work content
Set up hotkeys for quick scene switching
Configure bot commands to handle privacy-related questions
Zoom/Teams/Discord
Always use "Share Application" instead of "Share Screen" when possible
Test screen sharing permissions before starting
Use virtual backgrounds when showing your workspace
Emergency Protocols
Even with the best preparation, accidents happen. Have these protocols ready:
If You Accidentally Expose Sensitive Information
Immediately stop screen sharing or cover the information
Acknowledge the mistake to your audience
Change any exposed passwords or API keys immediately
Edit out the exposure from recorded content before publishing
Review and improve your privacy setup for next time
Tools and Resources
Invest in tools that make privacy protection automatic and effortless:
Automated Privacy Protection
Tools like Blurby use AI to automatically detect and blur sensitive information in real-time, eliminating the risk of human error during live streams and recordings.